*~Gabrielle's POV~*
"They are from New Orleans," I whispered, the secret spilling out. "They're looking for me. If I go back, I'm walking into a cage."
"Then run somewhere else," she urged, pressing a heavy silk pouch into my hands. It clinked with the unmistakable weight of gold. "I can't take you home—my children are there, and I won't lead a hunt to their doorstep. Take this. It's enough to get you wherever you need to go."
She vanished into the crowd before I could truly thank her. I gripped the money, my mind a whirlwind of indecision. Should I return to the lion's den of New Orleans, or vanish into the wilderness?
A dry, mocking cough echoed from the shadows behind me.
"I thought you just said you were deaf and dumb."
I spun around. It was him—the wolf from before. He wasn't looking at me with pity anymore. He leaned against the wall, a predatory smirk dancing on his lips as he gestured to the scarf.
